Cajun Shrimp & Rice

Craving some Cajun spice and succulent shrimp, but can’t swing down South for it right now? Don’t worry; you can make it yourself with our foolproof recipe for Cajun Shrimp and Rice that’s easy enough to be at home in the Big Easy.

All you have to do is toss the shrimp in your favorite spices – including Cajun seasoning, of course – then brown it up in your frying pan with some butter and garlic. Cook the rice with some onion, celery, green bell pepper and more Cajun seasoning (naturally), then serve everything up together in one big bowl of delicious.

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

Prep: 15 Mins | Total: 35 Mins

Serves: 4 servings

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 Pound Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined

To Taste Kosher Salt

To Taste Ground Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, divided

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

1 Lemon , zested and juiced

2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley (Optional) (For garnish)

Rice

3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, divided

1 Cup Chopped Onion

1/3 Cup Chopped Celery

1/3 Cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

To taste Kosher Salt

1 Cup Long Grain White Rice

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 1/2 Cups Chicken broth (Can substitute water or shrimp stock)

Directions

Prepare the rice. In a pot over medium heat, add butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook the vegetables, stirring often, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the Cajun seasoning and rice, stir to coat. Cook the rice until lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Once the rice is lightly toasted, stir in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and allow the rice to cook for 10-12 minutes. Once all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked through, use a fork to fluff the rice. Set aside and keep rice warm while cooking the shrimp.

Season the shrimp with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook until browned and mostly cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and add lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Garnish shrimp with chopped parsley, if using, and toss to combine.

What exactly is Cajun seasoning, some of you might ask? Oh, everybody has their favorite mix, of course, but general consensus makes it a delectable mix of salt (usually kosher), cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika (or sometimes sweet paprika), dried oregano, dried thyme, ground black pepper, and onion powder. Those who love their spices to be, well, extra spicy often make sure their Cajun seasoning also includes red pepper flakes and/or ground white pepper.

TipHero

Looking to make it even easier? Friends, you can make this one a one-pot meal! Seriously. All you have to do is start with cooking the rice. Halfway through – or when you have about 5 minutes of rice cooking left to go – add the shrimp and all its accompanying ingredients to the pan. That’s it!

TipHero

Want to eat shrimp more often? We don’t blame you; we do too! So check out our best shrimp dishes: